Azure NetApp Files supports [cross-region replication](cross-region-replication-introduction.md) for disaster-recovery (DR) purposes and [cross-zone replication](cross-zone-replication-introduction.md) for business continuity. Azure NetApp Files cross-region replication and cross-zone replication both use SnapMirror technology. Only changed blocks are sent over the network in a compressed, efficient format. After replication is initiated between volumes, the entire volume contents (that is, the actual stored data blocks) are transferred only once. This operation is called a *baseline transfer*. After the initial transfer, only changed blocks (as captured in snapshots) are transferred. The result is an asynchronous 1:1 replica of the source volume, including all snapshots. This behavior follows a full and incremental-forever replication mechanism. This technology minimizes the amount of data required for replication, therefore saving data transfer costs. It also shortens the replication time. You can achieve a smaller Recovery Point Objective (RPO), because more snapshots can be created and transferred more frequently with minimal data transfers. Further, it takes away the need for host-based replication mechanisms, avoiding virtual machine and software license cost.
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